


A Coming Out Party

by Dianalynn1138



Series: By Any Other Name [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: AU Canonverse, Armitage Hux/Rose Tico - Freeform, F/M, GingerRose Week 2020, Gingerrose - Freeform, Prequel, Stand Alone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:59:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23704999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dianalynn1138/pseuds/Dianalynn1138
Summary: **This story is a prequel to my new fic coming out in May for GingerRose Week 2020.**The story is set five years in the past and is how Rose and Hux meet.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico
Series: By Any Other Name [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813057
Comments: 8
Kudos: 22





	A Coming Out Party

Five Years Prior:

Eight years ago, Rose’s life had changed; eight years to the day since Rose had been picked off the streets in her home of Hays Minor by the Head of the Tico Triad, Baze Tico, after her older sister Paige had disappeared from her life days before. It was a year until Rose had found out exactly what had happened to her sister and why Rose was in the luxurious palace in the desert mountains outside Canto Bight, surrounded by people, but still alone. 

Tonight, would be no different.

Since being adopted by Baze Tico, Rose had been buffed and polished both inside and out, sent to the finest schools, given dialect coaches to rid herself of her uncultured Otomok accent and draped in the finest fabrics Tico credits could buy. 

“Mistress Rose, if you are ready, your transport awaits.” Jyn Erso spoke in a soft voice as she entered Rose’s dressing room which was situated off the side of her sleeping quarters, away from the living area she spent most of her time in. Jyn was given to Rose as a gift upon her arrival to Cantonia, being a few years older than her, Jyn was to be her ladies maid, dresser, confidant and had become her only real friend. 

Rose took one last look at herself in the reflective glass which stood floor the ceiling; her red dress was beautiful, only the best for a Tico, her hair smooth and tucked behind her ears, not like the intricate braids she preferred, thanks the Jyn and her Alderaanian heritage. For the first time Rose was primped and painted like the lady of 20 years she was, a mask of make-up and organza to conceal her past as a street urchin from a poor mining colony. 

Rose took a deep breath and allowed Jyn to put the heavy cloak around her shoulders then turned to exit the dressing room. Tonight, was not the first ball she had attended since coming to Cantonia, Rose had been invited to many balls and galas through the years, but always as a child, as Baze’s young daughter whom he had given a new life, but tonight was about her.

Tonight, Rose Tico would be introduced to not only Cantonian society, but the galactic elite. Rose Tico was Coming Out.

***

Armitage Hux was not in the mood for a social event tonight. Having just returned to his father’s house from the Arkanis Military Academy where Hux was completing his officer’s training, something his father planned to use to his advantage in his business with the New Republic , not to mention the reemerging dregs of the Imperial navy, the very last thing he wanted to be doing was dressing for a formal event to be paraded around like a trained house pet. 

Brendol Hux was nothing if not an opportunist when it came to networking, establishing more contacts in Canto Bight to grow his own empire; the Tico daughter’s first societal ball was the perfect place to conduct such business. Soon, Hux would be free of his father’s underworld venture and on his way to commanding his own men onboard a starship far, far away from Cantonia.

“Sir.” Hux saw in the reflective glass his body man and friend, Mitaka, approaching him with the suit jacket of his dress uniform, the last bit of clothing he needed to complete the look. As he buttoned the jacket closed and buckled the belt around his waist, Mitaka used a soft brush to get any stray hairs or lint from the dark, almost black charcoal gray of his uniform. 

Now fully dressed, Hux turned around and, after grabbing his coat from Mitaka walked out of his dressing room, down the hallway and directly outside and into his waiting transport. Brendol would be meeting him there, having left an hour before citing a “business meeting” with Tico’s people. Hux sat in the transport as it headed towards the waterfront and the bustling city built up around it. Cantonia was, at its heart, a desert planet set in the outer rim of the galaxy but as part of the Corporate Sector established during the Galactic Republic, and then the center of illicit dealings once the casinos were built after the galactic wars. Hux had been surrounded by these businesses, both legitimate and illegitimate, for years and where he was just as cunning as his father, if not more so, he had no desire to follow in his footsteps; Brendol was a swindler and glorified con man who just happened to not get caught yet. His new endeavor in weapons and small star cruiser sales going to the highest bidder have allowed him a layer of protection against any backlash from his hustler days of Hux’s youth. 

“I don’t know why I am here, Mitaka. I have no desire to be around these people, let alone be introduced to this girl. She may be a Tico, but she’s from some poor mining colony, why should I give her my clout as a Hux to legitimize her?”

“She is very pretty, Sir.”

“Credits can’t buy breading.” Hux said as he fixed his gloves before leaving the transport and heading into the ballroom where the event was being held. It was just as gaudy and overblown as he had figured it would be; Hux was a military man, he liked clean lines, and minimalism. What he had walked in on was a riot of color and over stimulation to the senses. 

Tonight, would prove to be intolerable.

***

Rose had been taken to a room away from the party the moment she had arrived at the venue so she could be formally presented by her father.

“My darling, you look beautiful. I knew this dress was the right one.” He walked over and kissed the top of her head. Rose could never tell if he was being honest with her or playing a part, like she always seemed to be with him. Did he really think of her as his daughter? Was she a prize? Was she simply just a pawn in a multi-layered game of chess, someone he would move around his table, show off to the galaxy that he was a loving father and that was why they should do business with him? Did these same people know what he’s made her sister do in order to stay alive?

“Thank you, Father, yes I think this dress was the perfect choice.”

“I have a lot of business associates in attendance tonight, so be sure to walk around and talk with everyone. I understand Brendol Hux’s son is in from Arkanis and will also make his presence known, him you can stay away from. I had to invite his father but if he’s anything like Brendol he’s not who you should be seen with, are we clear?”

Rose nodded, wondering how she would stay away from a man she didn’t know, let alone looked like, she wasn’t sure she could pick Brendol Hux out of a group. As she heard the music stop, that was their que. Baze smiled and walked to the door, turning back to look at his daughter. “We will have to send an image of you on a data pad to your sister, won’t we? She will be so proud.” Baze said before heading out the door to address his guests.

Rose started breathing quickly and Jyn came up behind her to attempt to calm her down, grabbing her fingers to keep Rose from digging the newly manicured nails into her palm, making them bleed. “Why? Why he has to bring her up? She sacrificed her safety for mine, why does he have to bring her up? Does he do it to remind me where I stand?”

“I do not know, Mistress.” Jyn said trying to calm her.

Rose let Jyn hold her for a moment longer then heard the door begin to slide open. Baze stood there with his hand held out waiting for her to join him on the platform situated above the attendees. Rose wondered who the one it was that she wasn’t meant to go to, dance or interact with at all. No one looked familiar save for a few members of her father’s organization.

Rose took a deep breath and smiled, taking his hand and walking down the steps to the main room. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose spotted a tall, slender man with bright red hair, ginger she remembered it being called once in an old holodrama she and Jyn watched late at night. He was in a military uniform, that couldn’t be who she was meant to stay away from, why would the son of a businessman like Brendol Hux be in the military? Rose gave the man a small smile but noticed he seemed displeased by it.

Perfect, the man she found the handsomest in the room didn’t return her thoughts. The night just got better.

***

“Ladies and Gentlemen of Cantonian society and beyond, eight years ago I was so proud to adopt a little girl who was so rough and had seen such sadness in her short life. I brought her here and raised her as if she were my own blood and today,”

Hux listened to Tico babble on about his supposed love for his adopted daughter but he didn’t believe a word of it. Hux had heard the rumors about what had happened with the girl’s older sister; a man didn’t prioritize one sister over another. Hux looked at the small datapad he kept with him, making sure he didn’t miss any information while he had been away from the academy, not paying any attention to the loving father’s speech. 

“I am so very pleased to present her to you as a grown woman, I wish to introduce to you my daughter, the stunningly beautiful light of my life Rose Tico.”

Hux heard the steel door slide open with a hiss and the crowd begin to murmur in approval of the girl they saw exiting the anteroom. 

“She truly is a beauty, isn’t she? What a lucky girl” Hux heard one woman say beside him.

“Oh yes, I wonder if she already has a suitor, I told my son he should join me tonight. They would bake a handsome couple.”

Hux looked up then and watched as Baze Tico walked his petite daughter down the stairs, a mass of bright red fabric flowing around her as she descended each step. Hux almost dropped the data pad he had been holding, thankfully, Mitaka was next to him ready to catch it placing it in his own breast pocket. Hux locked eyes with her and he wasn’t sure how to breathe; Rose Tico was not what Hux had imagined. No rough edges, or hints to her past, no, Rose Tico was a lady through and through, even if she did come from retched beginnings, she was meant to be in this world, like he was.

But that didn’t mean anything, he couldn’t have her, he didn’t _want_ to have her, he told himself. He was determined to be the youngest general in command of his own crew and this woman was not going to stand in the way. He would never take a woman so full of color onto a black and white ship, she belonged in society not in the coldness of space. Eyes still locked together, she smiled at him and the feelings running through his body made him cringe. Hux broke the connection and looked down, trying to regain his composure, but when he looked back up, she was gone. 

“Fuck.” He took a deep breath and grabbed a glass of something bubbly off of a tray circulated by droids. 

***

Rose’s feet hurt. She had been dancing for the past three hours and all she wanted to do was sit and have something to eat. She had been so nervous about the party earlier there was no way she could have eaten; Rose was regretting that now. Making eye contact with Jyn she pointed to the side room letting her know she was heading in there for a little bit, Jyn nodding her understanding. The doors slid opened with a hiss and Rose walked in and almost collapsed on the couch in front of her. She had lost track of the handsome ginger man that had grimaced when she smiled in his direction. Jyn had told her it looked like they were “eye fucking”, whatever that meant, but she liked the sound of it!

“Oh fuck, Paige. What am I going to do? I wish you were here.” Rose relaxed into the couch and let out a heavy sigh.

“Armitage.” The sound came from the darkness of the room and scared Rose half to death.

“The fuck?” She asked on a whisper.

A figure emerged from the shadows and when he came into the light streaming from the two full moons outside, Rose could see it was her ginger haired man.

“My name, Armitage. Not Paige. Drink?” He handed held out a glass towards her and gave her a half smile, one corner of his mouth turning upwards.

“Thank you.” She took the glass and watched as he sat next to her. He smelled like leather, booze and the desert air they were surrounded in. 

“I shouldn’t be here. I mean, it is my party, but I was just so tired and apparently there is someone I am not supposed to be around, but I have no idea who that person is. I just have a name.” She babbled as the man looked her up and down. Other men have looked her up and down and Rose had never felt comfortable with it, but when Armitage did it, Rose wanted him to do it more.

“And who might this man be? I know just about everyone here, perhaps I could help you.” He took a sip from his own glass and relaxed a bit.

“Brendol Hux’s son. I was not given a name, and if I’m honest I don’t really know Brendol Hux well enough to be able to pick him out of a crowd either.” Rose said with a small giggle. If her father knew she was speaking so candidly to a stranger, he would be so cross. 

Rose watched as his eye twitched at the sound of the name. “Do you know him?”

Armitage licked his lips, _I could do that for you if you like_ , she thought then shook herself out of that. She didn’t need to think about strangers like that. Especially ones who were friends of her father. 

“Oh yes, I know him. You should most assuredly stay away from him.” He leaned closer to her.

“Can you tell me what he looks like so I can be on the defensive if he approaches?” She leaned in closer to him to match his movement. They were now a breath apart and Rose could smell the sweet drink on his breath as he bit his lower lip while looking down at her own lips which were suddenly dry as the desert outside.

“Where would the fun in that be?” Armitage said as he closed the gap between them, reaching out to cup her cheek with his gloved hand. His lips settled on hers in a soft pillow of a kiss. Her gasp of shock was the entrance he needed to deepen the kiss, his tongue sliding between her lips and gently touching hers. This was not Rose’s first kiss, but damn if it wasn’t the most enticing of her short life. As he kissed her, she felt herself grow hot and wet in places she did not think about often, but she suddenly wanted to share this information with her secret man.

“ROSE!”

***

Hux had not heard the door open but he felt her loss when she pulled away from him at the sound of her father yelling out her name. Rose had been pulled from his lap exposing the erection she had been hiding while there and Hux was sad for the loss of her warmth. 

“The one person I told you to stay away from tonight and you go straight for him. You have no sense, girl. Gather your things, this party is over.”

Hux watched as Rose began to cower from her father and he was not alright with it. She had been brazen with him, had shown that she was strong and brave, ready to engage in a tryst with a man she had only just met, but to see her reaction to this man, a man who only hour ago had regarded her as the light of his life; no, Hux did not care for it. Not one bit.

After the Tico’s had left the room, Mitaka and his father rushed in, his father pissed that Hux had upset Tico putting him in a position of having to grovel, something Brendol did not wish to do.

“I don’t know what happened here, boy, but you can leave, back to the academy with you. You won’t be welcome here any longer.”

Hux thought about what his father had said, he wasn’t wanted, he wasn’t welcome in his own home. Well, so sorry to disappoint, father. Plans had changed.

“No, I’m not going back.” He turned to look at his father’s face, bright red with anger.

“You what?” he spit back at Hux.

“I’m not going back. I will stay, help you build your business, I have many contacts I can give you in the Order. I want the Hux name to be equated with weapon and ship sales not to mention strike fear throughout the galaxy.” He took his coat from Mitaka putting it on, as if putting on a suit of armor. “I want Tico and his lot to cower at the Hux name. I want everything he has to be ours.” _Including Rose._ He finished to himself. No one treated a woman like her as if she were trash. He watched his father treat his mother the same before she died, he will not have the same happen to Rose.

The ride back to his father’s house was quick, but during that short ride, Hux worked out a plan with Mitaka on how to not only grow the business his father had built on a string of good luck, but also how to take down the Tico Triad. He knew he would need Rose’s help, but first, Hux would allow her to be turned against him by her father. He was willing to play the long game; he knew he would win in the end. It was only a matter of time. First thing’s first, he had to take care of his father. He thought about all the ways he would kill his father and how to make the pain last. Hux grinned evilly to himself in the dark of the transport as he remembered how soft and sweet Rose Tico’s lips had been against his. And he had all night to think of the many different was she could use that hot, sweet and beautiful mouth.


End file.
